As long as it works and others have posted pictures I do not feel a need to open it just to open it. If something goes wrong I would have no problem opening it if I felt that I could make it right again.

Normally, yes, but we're not doing the family gathering/opening 'til about 2 PM, so ....

I tried to show off my Sony Reader at our family gathering today, but my family, who are all voracious readers, were not impressed. They politely admired it, but that's it. I think it was because the lighting was not the best, so no one could see it. (Even when I showed my mother a great photo of her 1950 wedding, her admiration was just a polite comment...)

They were much more impressed by the "real" (i.e., paper) books that I brought as part of the "family book exchange" that we do every time we get together....

One of my fondest memories of England was flying from NY on Christmas Day and landing at Heathrow on the morning of the 26th. We drove to our hotel in Salisbury, passing up a meal on the highway, not realizing that *everything* would be closed in Salisbury. Even the hotel could not give us food because we had not ordered it in advance.

Our solution? We found a pub and it did not have food but the folks in the pub were all local people. They were so warm and welcoming, we had one of the best afternoons we ever and we didn't miss food at all. They made such a fuss over us, it was great!

Later, we managed to find a pizza place open and we enjoyed our dinner there. The workers seemed to be of Pakistani or Indian descent, so I guess they were willing to work. It saved us from having to go out on the highway for a meal.

We were really very admiring of the fact that people in England who celebrate the holiday actually take time off. In the States, too often the stores and restaurants force people to work on the holidays. (I know, I used to be in retailing.)

So I guess what Betty is saying is that we need to get more people of Pakistani or Indian descent to come to the States to work on Christmas. In that way people in the States who celebrate the holiday would not be forced to work and could take the time off. I do wonder why did they not find any people of Pakistani or Indian descent to work at the local pub. I hope that the pub workers were not being forced to work.

We were really very admiring of the fact that people in England who celebrate the holiday actually take time off. In the States, too often the stores and restaurants force people to work on the holidays. (I know, I used to be in retailing.)

Betty

Hi Betty,

Hope you had a great Christmas!

Yes, virtually all restaurants are shut on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but Boxing Day is when most of the big stores start their "sales", so they are open. Virtually nothing - other than a few petrol (gas) stations is open Christmas Day.

I very much doubt you'd find many Indian or Pakistani people running a pub, because neither Hindus nor Muslims consume alcohol .